Back To Normality

Today’s blog is going to be non-political as, to be honest, my head aches from the non-stop roller coaster of breaking news of the past ten or so days. That’s not to say I’ve simply accepted the status quo and will now remain silent on the matter forever, just that my mum enjoys pictures of the grandchildren and hearing about how we all are. So, Mum, this one’s for you.

A lot has happened since I last did a blog on the continuing retirement. On the day of the referendum we were invited to London to our financial advisors’ annual summer party. As we were going to Scotland on Friday morning we booked into a hotel in London for the night to save the long trip back to Suffolk. That aim to avoid a long drive was anything but successful as East London flooded and we found ourselves in some of the worst traffic jams we have ever encountered. To compound the problem the Sat-Nav in the new car decided to stop picking up travel information and was oblivious to the alternative routes that it would normally send us on.

We attempted our own detours using an old fashioned map but ended up in this. The result was an almost six hour drive to London when it would usually be under two hours.

This year the Cumberland Place party was held at Tower Bridge and we enjoyed drinks and canapés on the viewing platforms high above the river before going on a guided tour of the Victorian steam engines that once powered the bridge mechanism. It was a very enjoyable couple of hours before the sleepless night ahead.

We drove to St Andrews without event (apart from the car keeping telling me I was tired – I knew I was tired I’d been watching TV all night) and arrived on Friday afternoon in good time for our eldest granddaughter Rose’s fifth birthday party on Saturday. 

It’s not her birthday yet but Sarah needed to fit the date around other children’s parties and holidays. Sarah did a wonderful job in arranging the party around the My Little Pony toys that she herself loved so much when she was a child (and are now popular again with today’s kids). There were pony races, face painting, cake decorating and much more and the small group had a lovely time.

Sadly the weather has not been at its best and we’ve found ourselves confined to the caravan for much of the past week apart from forays out to visit the family and to the university student union café to use the WIFI. We had hoped to use our bikes but with temperatures in the low teens and persistent wind and rain we haven’t had the chance to take them out yet – we’ve even had the central heating and electric blankets on. This summer is turning into something of a disaster for us weather wise. We’ve got four more days left here but we are not expecting a break in the clouds so will be heading back to Suffolk unfit and un-tanned.